Former first lady Michelle Obama told Gayle King on Friday’s episode of “CBS This Morning” that Black Lives Matter is “taking to the streets because they have to.”
Obama also claimed that she is afraid every time her daughters get into a vehicle.
Following the conviction of Minneapolis Police officer Derek Chauvin over the death of George Floyd, former President Barack and Michelle Obama said in a joint statement that “true justice is about much more than a single verdict in a single trial.”
During the interview on Friday, King asked Obama about the statement.
“The goal is to let leaders lead. But in certain times, people, you know, look to us often. ‘Well, what do you think? How do you feel?’ We know that while we’re all breathing a sigh of relief over the verdict, there’s still work to be done. And so we, we can’t sort of say, ‘Great. That happened. Let’s move on.’ I know that people in the Black community don’t feel that way because many of us still live in fear as we go to the grocery store, or walking our dogs, or allowing our children to get a license,” Obama said.
King responded by asking if Obama’s girls are driving.
“They’re driving, but every time they get in a car by themselves, I worry about what assumption is being made by somebody who doesn’t know everything about them,” Obama said. “The fact that they are good students and polite girls, but maybe they’re playing their music a little loud, maybe somebody sees the back in their head and makes an assumption. I, like so many parents of black kids, have to — the innocent act of getting a license puts fear in our hearts.”
She added, “So, I think we have to talk about it more, and we have to ask our fellow citizens to listen a bit more and to believe us and to know we don’t wanna be out there marching. I mean, all those Black Lives Matters kids, they’d rather not have to worry about this. They’re taking to the streets because they have to. They’re trying to have people understand that we’re real folks, and the fear that many have of so many of us is irrational, and it’s based on a history that is just — it’s sad, and it’s dark, and it’s time for us to move beyond that.”